Patients encouraged to Sit Up, Get Dressed, and Keep Moving

Southern Patients encouraged to ‘Sit Up, Get Dressed, and Keep Moving’

The ‘Sit Up, Get Dressed, and Keep Moving’ initiative to get patients out of their pyjamas and up and out of bed kicks offtomorrow at Southern DHB.

The initiative supports and encourages patients to get up, get dressed and keep moving as quickly as possible, and when safe to do so, to avoid the potential negative impact of being bed-bound while in hospital.

Although the initiative is aimed at supporting patients’ of all ages, the benefits from being more active are particularly important for older people. We need to encourage and reassure them that it is O.K. to wear clothes and walk around.

“For an older patient the effect of being in a hospital bed can be far reaching. Unnecessary bed rest leads to reduced muscle strength, increased risk of falls, reduced mobility and loss of confidence. This in turn may mean rehabilitation is required to get this muscle strength back.

“It is widely cited that every ten days of bed rest in hospital can lead to the equivalent of ten years of muscle ageing in people aged over 80 years. By getting up, dressed and moving, patients can be supported to speed up their recovery, maintain their normal routines, and get home sooner,” commented Southern DHB Releasing Time to Care Charge Nurse Manager, Jen Gow.

The ‘Sit Up, Get Dressed, and Keep Moving’ initiative is part of the ‘Releasing Time to Care’ Programme being rolled out at the DHB. The programme aims to increase the amount of time clinical staff spend with patients. It also links with the#EndPJParalysis social media campaign led by Professor Brian Dolan, which encourages patients to wear clothes and remain active in hospital.

“We’re very fortunate to have Professor Brian Dolan run a workshop for health professionals and colleagues from across our Southern health system next week in Dunedin. The TODAY program fits in perfectly with our “Releasing Time to Care” work and the Southern Future Improvement Priorities identified through our listening sessions and surveys undertaken last year.

“We’re looking forward to Brian sharing his expertise and improvement campaigns with us and for our staff to showcase some of the initiatives underway to value patient time and improve the patient experience of care. Brian's message is clear that patient time is the most important currency in healthcare and this is something we strongly support", said Southern DHB Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer, Jane Wilson.

‘Sit Up, Get Dressed, and Keep Moving’ will kick off tomorrow(Thursday 17 August) with displays in the foyers of Dunedin and Southland Hospital, and with information in the hospital wards through posters and leaflets to educate staff, patients and visitors. There may even be some staff in their pyjamas to raise awareness of the initiative!

ENDS

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